ABC was the most-watched network overall for the 6th week in a rowand rankedNo. 1 in Adults 18-49 for the 8th straight Monday. In fact ABC is registering itslongest Adult 18-49 winning streak on the night in more than 10 years – since November 1999-January 2000. The Network outperformed its nearest primetime competition (CBS) by 1.4 million viewers (7.9 million vs. 6.5 million) and by 32% in Adults 18-49 (2.5/8 vs. 1.9/6).

“The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All” (8:00-10:00 p.m.)

With ABC’s “The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All,” the Network ranked a strong No. 1 in the time period for the 9th consecutive week, outperforming its closest time period competition (CBS) by 2.3 million viewers (8.9 million vs. 6.6 million) and by 40% (2.8/9 vs. 2.0/6). The veteran ABC unscripted series led all 4 of its half-hours in viewers and young adults.

“The Bachelorette” stood as Monday’s No. 1 TV show in Adults 18-49 for the 7th week running, and for the 9th time in 9 weeks stood as the evening’s dominant No. 1 television program across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

“The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All” saw increases over its year-ago performance (7/20/09) by nearly 1.0 million viewers (8.9 million vs. 8.0 million).

On average, “The Bachelorette” is up over its performance at the same point last year by 1.3 million viewers (9.5 million vs. 8.2 million) and by 10% in Adults 18-49 (3.2/9 vs. 2.9/8).

ABC News’ “20/20: The Stories Behind the Rose” ranked No. 1 in the 10 o’clock hour against its CBS and NBC competition among Adults 18-49 (1.8/5) and Adults 25-54 (2.3/6).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 37% currently, from 32% at the same point in 2009. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight
next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings), 7/26/10.